President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Mar 20) sent their condolences to the leaders of Russia and Dubai over the crash of flydubai FZ981 in south Russia on Saturday.

In his letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dr Tan said he was saddened to learn of the crash. He expressed Singapore's deepest condolences on the tragic loss of lives.

“Our thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones so suddenly. I wish them strength and resolve to carry on through this difficult time of grief,” he added.

In his letter to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Mr Lee offered his condolences to the families of the victims and the people of the Russian Federation. “Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and the people of the Russian Federation during this difficult period,” he wrote.

Dr Tan and Mr Lee also wrote to Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

In separate letters to Sheikh Mohammed, Dr Tan and Mr Lee said they were saddened to learn of the tragic loss of flydubai flight FZ981 and its passengers and crew in Russia.

The flight from Dubai had been attempting to land in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don amid bad weather on Saturday when it crashed, according to an investigative committee. All 55 passengers and seven cabin crew were killed in the accident, officials said.